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Things In Venezuela Just Keep Getting Worse

Venezuela has been experiencing some economic turmoil for several years now and it's gotten so bad that the nation has already declared a state of emergency. Inflation has been rising in the country at a rate of roughly 20.2 per cent every single month. In September 2015, it was reported that the inflation had reached 141.5 per cent. The annual inflation rate for the country is around 808 per cent. Thanks to the deteriorating Bolivar and crippling inflation, millions of people have already left the state. Those who remain are becoming increasingly frustrated with how their representatives are attempting to deal with the situation.

Rather than pointing the finger at their own failing economic policies and bad decision making, the leaders in Venezuela are pointing the finger at anything but. They've blamed their problems on low oil prices, economic warfare launched by the US, and they've even taken the time to blame the weather. Not only that, but they've also gone so far as to blame a single US website, dolartoday.com, for the continued collapse of the Venezuelan economy. Their central bank has launched legal action against the site, even though the U.S. District Court of Delaware initially dismissed the claim.

For those who remain in Venzuela, many expect that things are still going to get much worse. The most recent “solution” that has been conjured by Venezuelan officials is to have the entire country shut down for a week, in order to deal with the crippling energy crisis. Just before that, they had been rationing electricity to shopping malls and businesses that remained open.

Crime has skyrocketed in the country and many of the citizens claim that they travel to the malls as a safe spot to be with friends and family, because the malls are protected by armed guards. However, now citizens will need to find a new place to go. Some citizens have said that the new blackouts feel almost like a curfew. They fear that these cuts could bring about a loss in revenue for their businesses and even a loss in labor and have them needing to cut jobs. Electricity isn't the only problem, there are also increasing worries about water shortages. Citizens aren't happy that things continue to get worse with no coherent solution in sight; just over 1000 protests have been reported in the first two months of this year alone.